Slowly, a panel in the wall slid to the left, revealing a secret closet behind it.
The closet was piled high with box after box of files.
“I think you found something,” Vance said with an arched eyebrow, stepping forward to pull several files from the box on the top.
Shelly and Brad entered the room.
“The downstairs looks like it’s pretty empty …,” Shelly started before trailing off. Her eyes rested on our find.
“Grab a box,” Vance said to them and handed one down from the top of the pile to me.
He passed one along to each of us, and soon we were all seated on the carpet going through mountains of files, which appeared to be more of the same stuff we had seen before … receipts, invoices, and the like.
Vance pulled another box, for himself, from the closet and opened it.
“Hey, look at this,” he said after a moment, handing a paper he had been looking at over to me.
Shelly and Brad looked over my shoulder.
“It’s a shipping invoice,” I exclaimed, after I had examined it a little closer, realizing what Vance had seen.
“We have a thousand of those,” Shelly complained. “What makes this one so special?”
“It’s a shipping invoice from here to a different location. All the rest have been invoices shipping into Albuquerque,” I explained. “It says the entire contents of one of the warehouses were shipped to a place in Puerto Peñasco.”
“Puerto Peñasco? Where is that?” Shelly asked, a perplexed look on her face.
“You know it as Rocky Point,” Brad explained absently as he looked the paper over.
“It looks like we’re going to Mexico!” Vance said with a grin, winking at me. “Do you have a passport with you?”
“I do,” I replied, and we turned to look at Shelly and Brad, wondering if they were carrying theirs also.
“I’m a world traveler!” Shelly giggled. “Do you really have to ask? And Brad and his family came with us on our last vacation, so he has one, too.”
“Yeah, but I left mine at home,” Brad replied giving an apologetic shrug. “I didn’t anticipate a trip out of the country.”
“So what should we do?” Shelly frowned.
“I think we should go back to Sedona. We can drop off Vance’s motorcycle and get a bigger car. That way Brad can pick up his passport,” I suggested. “Then we can travel down I-17 until we hit the I-10 in Phoenix. After that we can go through Ajo to get to Lukeville to cross the border there. Rocky Point will be much closer from that direction.”
“That’s a good idea,” Vance agreed. “Then we can check in with the coven and see how things are going there.”
We heard a car door slam outside, and Vance leaned over to look out the window.
“We have company,” he said. “Let’s move.”
We hurriedly restacked the boxes and closed the wall tightly, then quickly ran down the hall to the stairs, just in time to hear a couple of male voices float up the stairwell toward us.
“They’re coming up the stairs!” Vance whispered and ushered us through the door of the nearest empty office.
The four of us leaned our backs up against the wall, to hide ourselves from view, until the men passed. Then we hurried out the door one by one, tiptoeing down the staircase.
Slinking as silently as possible, we went out the back door and over to where we had parked the Mustang. Shelly started the engine just as one of the men came running out the back door after us.
“Gas it, Shelly!” Vance yelled to her, and suddenly we were pealing out in reverse, the tires scrabbling and spewing gravel everywhere.
Shelly slammed on the brakes to change directions, throwing us forward.
We raced past the front of the building. The other man was jumping into a dark-colored sedan. He pulled out in pursuit.
We spun out onto the main road, and Shelly gunned the GT 500, its motor roaring loudly.
Vance watched the car behind us.
“You take care of the obstacles in front, and I’ll cover the rear,” he shouted out to me and nodded ahead.
I faced forward to look at the traffic which was moving much slower on the double-lane road ahead of us.
“They’re slowing for the light,” Shelly yelled, sounding panicked. “What should I do?”
Immediately I flicked my hand toward the light, and it turned green again. The first few cars started to move, but the ones behind were too slow.
“Don’t slow down, Shelly,” I said.
I leaned forward and thrust both of my hands out, the magic making the cars slide to the side so we could pass through them without hitting them.
Vance used his powers to wave the cars back onto the road behind us.
The black sedan tried weaving madly through the vehicles which were being thrown in its path. It avoided several before Vance finally just threw his hand up in a stop signal. The car’s front end screeched to a halt, and the back end of it flipped up high into the air. The car landed upside down in the road with a loud crunch.
“That ought to do it,” he said, with a grin.
I could feel the adrenaline coursing through him as he reached a hand out behind my head and pulled me in for a kiss.
When we moved apart again, I noticed that Shelly hadn’t slowed down at all, and I started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, sending me a piercing stare in the rearview mirror.
“Not a thing,” I said, nodding my head slightly and gesturing for Vance to look at Brad.
Brad was hanging onto the door handle with one hand and the emergency brake with the other, his mouth gaping wide open in shock.
He slowly turned his head to look back at me.
“That ROCKED!” he exclaimed and flashed a giant, boyish grin.
We all busted up laughing.
Chapter 5
We arrived back in Sedona to the waiting arms of our family and coven. Everyone was so happy to see Vance again, and he received lots of hugs as well as a chastening from my dad for leaving on his own, which he took rather well, I thought.
Jinx, who acted as if she hadn’t seen me in a year, personally mauled me. She purred like a motorboat on my lap, while we explained our findings to my family and told them of our plan to go to Mexico.
We ended up trading Shelly’s car for Marsha’s, which Vance had inherited after she had been killed. It was a silver-colored Audi S8. Vance loved driving it because of all the power it had. I figured it was a guy thing, as I reflected back on my little green scooter. I felt like I hadn’t driven it in ages.
We packed up and left Sedona the next morning and headed down the I-17 toward Phoenix. It was a sunny December day. The closer we got to the valley, the warmer it became.
We stopped to stretch our legs and get some lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant just off the I-10. Afterward we continued on to Maricopa and then over to Gila Bend, where we turned to head down to Ajo.
In Ajo we got some ice cream before continuing on to Lukeville, where we purchased gas at a station right before we crossed over the border into Sonoyta, Mexico.
We drove through the town until we reached the turn that would head us toward Puerto Peñasco.
The drive took about an hour through the beautiful Sonoran Desert. Watching the hilled scenery pass by, I could tell when we started getting closer to the ocean because the soil quickly turned sandy, becoming ever thicker, until there were rolling hills of sand surrounding us.
We had reached the outer edges of Rocky Point when we came to our turn that would lead us out to the beautiful oceanfront resorts of Sandy Beach.
The colorful hotels loomed over us on our drive along the winding, palm tree lined street until we came to the gates, which led us into our parking lot.
My dad had reserved us a room at the Sonoran Sea Resort. He said he felt better about us staying someplace with on-site security. We pulled up at the towering ten-story hotel and checked in.
Our condo
was a spacious three bedroom deluxe suite on the sixth floor and was lavishly decorated in a palm tree theme. There was a sage green down sectional at one end of the room with a large custom made entertainment center along with an entire wall of windows that led out to the balcony.
At the other end of the room was the kitchen, complete with granite countertops and furnished with all the necessary appliances. The adjoining dining room had a beautiful glass-topped table with plush dining chairs.
The master bedroom was gorgeous, with a tall, four-poster, king-sized canopy bed. It was so high, a stool was placed next to it to use to climb up on the bed. The room came with its own master bath complete with a Jacuzzi tub.
The secondary bedrooms also had king beds and shared a bathroom. It was decided that Vance and Brad would take those rooms, while the two of us girls would share the master suite.
We put our luggage away and headed out onto the huge patio that overlooked the immaculate grounds of the resort below us and then out into the beautiful Sea of Cortez.
“This is great!” I said, placing my hands on the wrought iron rails and taking in the view.
“I agree,” Vance said, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning his head against mine.
Brad and Shelly joined us at the railing, and we watched the people playing on the private beach beneath.
“Isn’t the water cold this time of year?” Shelly asked as several young teenagers ran squealing into the light surf.
“Probably, a little bit,” Brad replied. “The water temperatures stay pretty good year round; however, in the summer it’s extremely warm. I imagine the water would be fairly cool right now but not as bad as say California would be. It can get chilly in the evenings, though.”
“When was the last time you were here?” she asked.
“A couple of years ago. Our family used to come in July, but it was just so hot, plus there were a lot of jellyfish. We started coming in October, and that was more fun. The temperatures were better and no jellyfish! I’ve never been here in December before, though.”
My stomach chose this time to start growling loudly, causing the others around me to chuckle.
“Well, I’m hungry,” I said turning to Vance. “What do you want to do? You’re technically the leader of this little coven.” I laughed.
“I can’t let you starve now, can I?” he said with a smile. “Let’s get some dinner, and then we can plan.” To Brad he said, “Do you know any good places to eat?”
“There’s a sweet little place down by the marina called the Friendly Dolphin.”
“Sounds great!” Vance said. “Let’s go there.”
We were soon back in the car and on our way down the road toward the marina. We found the restaurant easily, with Brad’s help, and soon we were inside seated at a table on the ground floor.
The place was rich with atmosphere. Spanish tile covered the floors, and the walls were painted with bright colors and decorated with all sorts of Mexican and seafaring artifacts. A talented mariachi band wandered about the room singing for the patrons sitting at the tables, who would in turn tip them generously.
While we waited for our food, another man came by the table selling long-stemmed roses.
“Flowers for your pretty ladies?” the man asked in slightly broken English.
“Absolutely,” Vance replied and fished out his wallet, Brad doing the same. “I’ll take twelve,” he added with a smile.
The man’s face lit up into a thousand watts as he realized he had hit a jackpot. He handed Vance a dozen roses wrapped in clear cellophane.
“For my beautiful lady,” Vance said in a whisper close to my ear as he handed me the roses.
“Thank you. They’re wonderful.” I accepted them with a smile, and he placed a kiss on my cheek.
“Yes, but they pale in comparison to you.” He reached over to hold my hand, softly chuckling over the blush that was now spreading across my face.
The food arrived and was delicious. Vance and I had both ordered a couple of the Mexican food dishes, while Shelly and Brad had seafood.
The flavors were much different than what we were used to in the States but very good nonetheless. We enjoyed every bite while we visited together.
After dinner we returned to the hotel where Vance invited me to go for a walk on the beach with him and enjoy the last rays of the sunset.
We walked hand in hand, barefoot next to the water’s edge, letting the cool waves rush over our feet.
The light reflected beautifully over the water as the sun dipped low on the horizon.
“It’s really nice here,” I said, enjoying sharing this moment with him.
“It is.” He gazed out into the distance over the water.
“Too bad it just can’t be a vacation.”
“I agree. Maybe someday we can come back here, just the two of us,” he said.
“You think my mom and dad will let us come back here alone, together?” I said laughing.
“They would if it was for our honeymoon,” he said softly.
I stopped and faced him.
“You want to come here for our honeymoon?” My heart beat a little harder at the unexpected change of subject.
“Maybe,” he replied, his eyes moving slowly over my face as if gauging my reaction.
“That could be a long time from now,” I said.
“Actually, I’ve been pondering on that,” he replied, searching my eyes closely. “If it’s okay with you, I was thinking perhaps I could talk to your parents and see if they’d let us get married before you turn eighteen.”
I was stunned. I knew we had planned to married eventually, but I had no idea he wanted to do it so soon.
“I’m only a junior in high school,” I replied, realizing that I was feeling a little bit blindsided. “I still need to finish my senior year.”
“I know,” he said nodding his head. “I thought after I graduate this year, I’d look for a good job in Flagstaff. I could go to NAU there. We could get a little place to live in together, and you’d still be close enough to finish your year at Sedona High School.”
He had really put a lot of thought into this, and while I was feeling a little nervous about what he was saying, it made my heart sing that he wanted to be with me.
“So what do you think?” he asked after several moments had passed, his eyes never leaving me.
“I think I love you,” I said taking a step closer to him, the wind blowing several strands of my hair across my face.
“I know I love you,” he replied, smiling as he reached out to tuck the wayward strands behind my ear. “But you aren’t answering the question I’m asking.”
“Which question was that?” I asked, toying with him.
“Never mind,” he said suddenly and looked away from me toward the condo. “Wait here,” he added.
He took off and ran up the beach toward the hotel.
“Wait! Where are you going?” I shouted after him, wondering what on earth he was doing.
“I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder. “Don’t move!”
I stood looking after him, a perplexed look on my face, before turning to look back out over the water. I was soon absorbed in the beauty of the waves crashing against the shore.
It had only been a couple of minutes when I heard him call my name softly from behind me.
“Where did you go?” I asked, facing him.
“I had to get something.” He was panting a little from his quick run.
“And what was that?”
“This.” He slowly retrieved a small velvet box from his pocket.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked in shock, my eyes growing wide.
He slowly lifted the lid to reveal a sparkling princess-cut diamond ring.
I couldn’t speak as I looked at him in amazement, wondering where he had come up with the beautiful gem.
“When you and I first got together, I already knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest o
f my life with,” he explained, his eyes deepening with some hidden emotion. “I had secretly been in love with you for two long years, even though you barely knew me.
“I was so excited when things finally started working out for us, and to find out you felt the same way about me, I started thinking crazy, fantasizing about our future together. I actually bought this ring with the intention of giving it to you when we did our binding spell, but then I changed my mind. I was worried I was rushing you too fast, that too many new things were being thrust upon you at once, so I decided to wait.
“I’ve carried it with me every day, hoping for a day when I felt it was the right time to give it to you.” He started laughing. “Isn’t it ironic that the one time I don’t have it on my actual person is when the moment presented itself.”
He sank to one knee on the sand in front of me, and I felt my pulse shoot up to an incalculable level.
“Marry me, Portia,” he said softly, smiling. “I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you the happiest person on earth.”
I stood over him for a moment, my emotions racing through my body, my head was spinning.
“Now? But don’t you think I’m a little too young?”
“I know you’re young, Portia, but humor me here. I’ve never wanted anything in my life more than I want you. I love you, and I want to shout it from the rooftops. I don’t care who hears me. I’ll talk to your parents about the timing, but even if we have to wait, I just want to see the ring on your finger, letting the world know that you’re mine.” He paused for a moment, and I could see the love in his eyes as he spoke to me again. “I love you. Please, Portia, if you feel even remotely the same way about me, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
I stared at him, my heart racing, thinking his proposal was like something out of a movie, only I was the star. I let my gaze wander over the handsome planes of his face and his muscled physique, faintly wondering how I had become so lucky, before letting a huge smile cross my face.
“Yes,” I whispered, nodding my head, “I will.”
Of Witches and Warlocks: The Demon Kiss Page 5
